On an imposing mountain above Kapsali, the port of Chora on the island of Kythera, is perched the Church of Saint John on the Cliff. At an altitude of about 100 meters above sea level, and after climbing 130 steps into a beautiful pine forest, the visitor is in front of a cave, in which is a small church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.
Above the arched entrance is the guest house, with two rooms and a kitchen, originally built 500 years ago. Approximately 5-6 monks once lived at this skete in a couple of small cells nearby.
There are also ceramic basins for collecting water which was used for holy water and from which the faithful drank to cure their diseases. On the iconostasis there is the old icon of Saint John the Baptist which is the work of the great Cretan painter Angelos Akotantos of the 15th century which was offered by the Cretan Peter Kastrophylakas. Also on the iconostasis there is the icon of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist on which there is painted the coat of arms of the Kaloutsis family and the words: "Prayer of the servant of God George Kaloutsis". At the entrance there is a built-in marble plaque on which is written the name of the monk Ioannikios Saninos, who renovated the shrine in 1725. Around the church there are renovated buildings where monks could be accommodated.
Above the arched entrance is the guest house, with two rooms and a kitchen, originally built 500 years ago. Approximately 5-6 monks once lived at this skete in a couple of small cells nearby.
There are also ceramic basins for collecting water which was used for holy water and from which the faithful drank to cure their diseases. On the iconostasis there is the old icon of Saint John the Baptist which is the work of the great Cretan painter Angelos Akotantos of the 15th century which was offered by the Cretan Peter Kastrophylakas. Also on the iconostasis there is the icon of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist on which there is painted the coat of arms of the Kaloutsis family and the words: "Prayer of the servant of God George Kaloutsis". At the entrance there is a built-in marble plaque on which is written the name of the monk Ioannikios Saninos, who renovated the shrine in 1725. Around the church there are renovated buildings where monks could be accommodated.
